All Ryanair passengers will soon have to check in for flights online before arriving at the airport as the airline moves to phase out the use of check-in desks.
The change applies to all new bookings made after next Wednesday, May 20th, including passengers travelling with infants and checked-in bags.
The airline also says that from next week it will no longer accept bookings for unaccompanied minors (under 16 years old) while all new bookings will require passengers, including infants and those travelling on domestic flights) to hold a valid passport or national identity card.
The existing €10 airport check-in fee is being replaced by a €5 fee per person, per flight, on new bookings, except for promotional fares. Free fares, and fares costing €1 or €5 will include the check-in fee in the cost.
Ryanair is also imposing a new penalty of €40 for re-issuing a boarding card that has already been printed. It says this is to encourage all passengers to arrive at their airport with the card pre-printed.
"Passengers travelling without checked in bags have already embraced our online check-in service and the extension of this service to all passengers, including those with hold luggage and those travelling with infants will allow all passengers to forever avoid check-in queues," a spokesman said.
"This will also allow Ryanair to lower our airport and handling costs and pass these savings to all passengers in the form of even lower air fares next winter."
The airline's check-in service allows a passenger to check in from 15 day to four hours before a flight. The boarding card can be printed, or re-printed, up to 40 minutes before scheduled departure time.